--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to know whether you have…" description: "\"If you want to know whether you have written anything worth preserving, sing it to yourself without any accompaniment.\" — Joseph Haydn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg" --- # If you want to know whether you have written anything… ![“If you want to know whether you have written anything worth preserving, sing it to yourself without any accompaniment.” quote by Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg) > “If you want to know whether you have written anything worth preserving, sing it to yourself without any accompaniment.” [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evaluating the lasting value of your work requires hearing it alone, without external support. **In simple terms:** Test your work alone to see its true worth. Key Takeaway Create and review solo. Themes creativity self‑assessment artistic integrity Mood introspective analytical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - personal journaling - solo performance - creative workshops Key Concepts musical composition self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude change your perception of your work? - What aspects are hidden when you hear it alone? A Different Perspective Solo testing may miss collaborative strengths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Preserving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserving/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [We know there is a deep reservoir of food wisdom out there, or else humans would not have survived to the extent we have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/we-know-there-is-a-deep-reservoir-of-food-wisdom-out-there-or-else/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I have to determine whether the joy of craplets is worth preserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/i-have-to-determine-whether-the-joy-of-craplets-is-worth-preserving/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [“Things that change and are lost, that is what's worth preserving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/things-that-change-and-are-lost-that-is-what-s-worth-preserving/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [The public library system of the United States is worth preserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-public-library-system-of-the-united-states-is-worth-preserving/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [The fact that the movement was carried on by women who, for the most part, had no money of their own and were totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-that-the-movement-was-carried-on-by-women-who-for-the-most/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And I thought, my God, there's an off chance that they will say something that's really worth preserving and there is one way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/and-i-thought-my-god-there-s-an-off-chance-that-they-will-say/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [“All that ink, all that pigment, all that desperate action to preserve that which had been created -- it is valuable because story is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-dorst-j-j-abrams/all-that-ink-all-that-pigment-all-that-desperate-action-to-preserve/) [Doug Dorst J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-dorst-j-j-abrams/) > [The world may need fixing, but it's worth preserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-world-may-need-fixing-but-it-s-worth-preserving/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [If the novelist isn't surprised by where his book ends up, he or she probably hasn't written anything worth remembering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/if-the-novelist-isn-t-surprised-by-where-his-book-ends-up-he-or-she/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Not everything written is worth being published.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anymonous/not-everything-written-is-worth-being-published/) Anymonous > [“I like to think I’ve written something worth reading when I cry the tears of the characters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger-2/i-like-to-think-i-ve-written-something-worth-reading-when-i-cry-the/) [Carla H. Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger-2/) > [Finally, we might decide that civilisation itself is worth preserving. In that case we have to work out what to save and which people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/finally-we-might-decide-that-civilisation-itself-is-worth-preserving/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [“that real love comes over time, once that initial draw you're talking about takes on a different form. When you get to understand there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dave/that-real-love-comes-over-time-once-that-initial-draw-you-re-talking/) [Laura Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dave/) > [I know in this time of great technological advancement, the idea of reading a book seems almost anachronistic, but I think it's worth preserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-know-in-this-time-of-great-technological-advancement-the-idea-of/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [If there is one thing in this wonderful world of ours that is worth preserving, defending, and promoting, it is the White Race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-klassen/if-there-is-one-thing-in-this-wonderful-world-of-ours-that-is-worth/) [Ben Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-klassen/) ## More by Joseph Haydn > [The life's story of great geniuses is a sad one, without much tangible reward, which does not inspire future generations to face a similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/the-life-s-story-of-great-geniuses-is-a-sad-one-without-much-tangible/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Children be comforted, I am well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/children-be-comforted-i-am-well/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/there-was-no-one-near-to-confuse-me-so-i-was-forced-to-become-original/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [ The custom of saluting \[i.e., embracing\] ladies by their relatives and friends was introduced, it is said, by the early Romans, not out of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/the-custom-of-saluting-i-e-embracing-ladies-by-their-relatives-and/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [I was for some time quite beside myself and could not believe that Providence could have required the presence of this indispensable man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-was-for-some-time-quite-beside-myself-and-could-not-believe-that/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Mozart is the incarnation of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/mozart-is-the-incarnation-of-music/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [“I tell you before God, and as an honest man, your son is the greatest composer known to me by person and repute, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-tell-you-before-god-and-as-an-honest-man-your-son-is-the-greatest/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [When I think of my God, my heart dances within me for joy, and then my music has to dance, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/when-i-think-of-my-god-my-heart-dances-within-me-for-joy-and-then-my/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [I'm going to commune with God and I must be appropriately dressed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-m-going-to-commune-with-god-and-i-must-be-appropriately-dressed/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Rules are my very humble, obedient servants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/rules-are-my-very-humble-obedient-servants/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [I tell you before God, and as an honest man, your son (W A Mozart)is the greatest composer known to me by person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-tell-you-before-god-and-as-an-honest-man-your-son-w-a-mozart-is-the/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [When I think upon my God, my heart is full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/when-i-think-upon-my-god-my-heart-is-full-of-joy-that-the-notes-dance/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Young people can learn from my example that something can come from nothing. What I have become is the result of my hard efforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/young-people-can-learn-from-my-example-that-something-can-come-from/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [I would give my best quartet for a good razor,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-would-give-my-best-quartet-for-a-good-razor/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Whenever I think of God I can only conceive of Him as a Being infinitely great and infinitely good. This last quality of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/whenever-i-think-of-god-i-can-only-conceive-of-him-as-a-being/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) [Explore all 23 Joseph Haydn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you want to know whether you have written anything worth preserving, sing it to yourself without any accompaniment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Haydn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-written-anything-worth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-written-anything-worth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a1/joseph-haydn-25205_ifs_if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-wri_2212585.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want to know whether you have written anything worth preserving, sing it to yourself without any…” — Joseph Haydn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joseph Haydn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you want to know whether...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-written-anything-worth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/if-you-want-to-know-whether-you-have-written-anything-worth/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```